A look at how the sires fared during the yearling portion of the recently-completed Standardbred Horse Sales Company auction at Harrisburg.

by Joe FitzGerald

A Rocknroll Dance, the first-crop sire of Metro winner Lost In Time, sold nine from his second crop at Harrisburg for an average of $32,556, which is up 32 per cent over his performance at that sale last year. Two of the nine brought at least $50,000. This didn’t come close to what he did at Lexington Selected, however. Down there, 17 averaged $57,706 and two topped $100,000.

American Ideal averaged $46,394 for 33 sold in Pennsylvania. That’s off five per cent from last year. A quarter of them topped $50,000, with three of those eclipsing $100,000, and 82 per cent brought at least $25,000. He averaged $50,300 for 20 sold in Lexington.

Art Major averaged $39,300 for 45 sold, which is a little higher than last year. None of them topped $100,000, but a dozen brought at least $50,000. This is 11 per cent higher than his Lexington average.

Betterthancheddar, who raced his first crop in New York this year, sold seven Ontario breds for a weak $14,857 average. Only one beat $25,000. This was down 25 per cent from a soft first-crop average of $19,722 in Pennsylvania last year. Nineteen-year-old Bettor’s Delight is still searching for an extender. Apparently the buyers don’t think it’s Cheddar.

Somebeachsomewhere sold 46 yearlings at Harrisburg for a $74,717 average. That was $317 higher than his 2016 average, when he sold 60. A quarter of them topped $100,000 and 72 per cent beat $50,000. A smaller offering of 29 averaged $103,448 at Lexington Selected.

Bettor’s Delight sold 48 for a $39,510 average. That’s eight per cent better than 2016. He sold a $200,000 filly and three more above $100,000, but only a quarter topped $50,000 after having more than half in that range last year. Twenty averaged $40,000 in Lexington. These yearlings are eligible to the Ontario Sire Stakes.

Cantab Hall saw 43 yearlings average $45,372. That’s 25 per cent lower than last year in Harrisburg when 41 sold. He sold one in the $200,000 range and three more above $100,000. A quarter topped $50,000. Cantab averaged $67,680 for 42 sold at Lexington Selected this year.

Cantab’s son Father Patrick, who was reduced to half-crop status his first year at stud due to the Gural Rule, sold only a half dozen for a healthy $54,857 average. Two topped $100,000. Patrick averaged $82,048 for 22 sold in Lexington. He was well received.

Cantab’s other first crop son, Uncle Peter, sold only three for a $33,333 average.

Kadabra sold 13 for a $50,538 average, down 11 per cent from last year when he sold 19 at Harrisburg, and down 37 per cent from 2015 when he sold 20. Thirty-eight percent beat $50,000, with two of them topping $100,000. This year 19 averaged $56,789 in Lexington for the sire of Breeders Crown winner Emoticon Hanover.

Muscle Hill averaged $138,304 for 23 sold. That was actually down eight per cent from last year. Between Harrisburg and Lexington, he sold 26 that eclipsed the $100,000 mark. At Harrisburg three quarters of them topped $50,000 last year and this. The sire of Manchego and Ariana G sells the bulk of his crop in Kentucky where he averaged $115,857 for 49 sold.

Muscle Mass sold 10 New York breds for a $56,900 average, up 46 per cent from last year. And he was up by 55 per cent at Lexington Selected. Six of the 10 sold in Pennsylvania topped $50,000. He’s up 63 per cent since the 2015 sale.

Muscle Massive, Mass’s Hambletonian-winning little brother, didn’t fare as well. He averaged $21,194 for 36 sold. That’s down 19 per cent from 2016. Forty-six percent failed to beat $25,000. Massive sold 11 in Lexington for a soft $18,364 average. He’s being relocated to Indiana for the 2018 season.

Credit Winner averaged $41,438 for 32 sold—13 colts and 19 fillies. That’s down nine per cent from last year when 23 sold. A dozen topped $50,000, with one in the $100,000 range. The 20-year-old son of American Winner averaged $47,926 for 27 sold in Lexington.

Rock N Roll Heaven sold 10 for a $36,900 average. Two of the 10 beat $50,000, and one of those, a colt out of My Little Dragon, sold for $135,000. Heaven is up 25 per cent from 2016. He averaged $18,400 for five sold in Lexington.

Roll With Joe sold his fourth crop this year. The 17 sold in Pennsylvania averaged $30,294, down 24 per cent from last year. Only two of the 17 topped $50,000. Five averaged $26,600 in Lexington, down 44 per cent since 2015.

Sweet Lou sold 32 from his first crop for a $47,188 average. Half of them beat $50,000 and three of those brought at least $100,000. Eighty per cent sold for at least $25,000. Lou’s average was 38 per cent higher in Lexington for 27 sold.

Sunshine Beach, another first crop stallion, sold 10 colts and five fillies for a $36,067 average. Four of them topped $50,000 while 11 beat $25,000. Sunshine Beach averaged $84,667 for three sold in Lexington.

Trixton averaged $50,550 for 20 from his initial offering. A pair topped $200,000 and two more eclipsed $100,000. More than 31 per cent of them beat $50,000. Thirty-eight averaged $54,395 at Lexington Selected.

Well Said sold a large contingent of 42 yearlings in Harrisburg. They averaged $24,429. Only one topped $100,000 and three, or seven per cent, beat $50,000. Two-thirds of them failed to crack $25,000. Well Said averaged $29,333 for nine sold in Lexington.

Western Ideal averaged $27,440 for 25 sold at Harrisburg after averaging $53,000 for eight sold in Lexington. He was down slightly from 2016 in Pennsylvania and off 17 per cent since 2015 at that sale. Three topped $50,000; 13 brought at least $25,000; and 11 failed to reach that threshold.

Shadow Play sold a dozen for a $26,333 average. A filly out of Michelles Song brought $150,000, but none of the others topped $50,000. Shadow Play was down 28 per cent from last year when he sold twice as many, but he’s up 30 per cent since 2015. Six averaged $30,833 in Lexington.

Sportswriter sold 30 for a $29,250 average, down 19 per cent from 2016, when 28 were purchased. Five, or 17 per cent, topped $50,000, with one in the $100,000 range. Seventeen averaged $36,706 at Lexington Selected.

Yankee Glide, who now stands in Kentucky, averaged a weak $13,267 for 15 sold. That’s down by more than half from last year. Only one beat $25,000. He fared much better than that at Lexington Selected, where he averaged $29,500 for 20 sold. Yankee Glide has been shunned by the buyers in Harrisburg since 2013, when he was well received at both sales.

Donato Hanover sold 33 for a $31,455 average, up four per cent from last year. He’s down 19 per cent since 2015, and at that time he was down 16 per cent from 2014. Donato sold two colts and a filly for at least $100,000. He averaged $37,263 for 19 sold at Lexington Selected.

Explosive Matter, who generated a false report of a sale to Swedish interests a few weeks ago, sold a large group of 42 for a soft $21,821 average. That’s down slightly from last year when he averaged $22,385 for 39 sold. The son of Cantab Hall fared much better in Lexington, where a dozen averaged $51,167.

Conway Hall averaged $21,667 for a dozen sold. That’s down 28 per cent from last year when 13 sold. Three-quarters of them failed to reach $25,000. He did better in Lexington, averaging $41,889 for nine sold. For the most part, stallions from the bottom to the top fared much better at Lexington Selected.

Mach Three, who passed in January, sold 13 for a $30,385 average, down 32 per cent from 2016. Seven averaged $33,857 in Kentucky.

First crop stallion Royalty For Life averaged $26,333 for a dozen sold. Half that many averaged $51,167 in Lexington.